Kptlt. Werner Lott was commander of U-35 from 15 August 1937 until 29 November 1939.
He was born on 03 December 1907 in Willenberg, East Prussia. He entered the Navy in 1926 (Crew
1926). He was promoted to the rank of Kapitänleutnant (Lietenant Commander) on 01 October
1934 (10th in the class). From September 1936 - 31 March 1937, he was commander of U-21. During April 1937, he participated in ship construction lessons at Germaniawerft, Kiel. From 15 April 1937 to 15
August 1937, he was commander of U-32. [1,3,15]
"I was named as commander of U-35 by Dönitz personally on 15 August 1937. Thereupon I gave up command of U-32 to Paul Büchel" [28]

Werner Lott [14]

The crew of
U-35, including
Werner Lott, in September 1937 in Kiel. [90]

Around August 20,1939 we had held exercises with all our U-boats in the deeper waters of the Central Baltic Sea for a manoeuvre that Hitler had ordered to show off to the king of Italy on his state visit August 24-28, 1939, if I remember the dates correctly. Hitler had been impressed on his state visit to Italy May 1939 by a rather static display of submerged power in Naples Bay and now Hitler wanted to impress him with daring and very mobile manoeuvres. All went well on this exercise around Hitler's aviso Grille and thereafter we all entered Swinemünde Harbour. There the U-boat captains were invited to lunch with him onboard Grille where CinC Raeder presided and Doenitz was also present. After lunch a most unusual thing happened: Raeder rose, made a few complimentary remarks and then said "Have you any questions?" I knew him personally well and shot without a second's hesitation the question at him: "We cannot help feeling that we are drifting towards war - is that really unavoidable?" And he also answered without hesitation: "Hitler has so far achieved so much in his six years in power that I do not think he will risk all the positive achievements in a hazardous war." [39]

On board U-35, Werner Lott (right) with Albert Thomason, master of
ALVIS, during the first war patrol. [32]

On 3rd-4th October 1939, Werner Lott oversaw the events
surrounding the DIAMANTIS incident which drew
international attention. Decades later, it also drew the praise and thanks of
Lord Mountbatten (see below).

Werner Lott being addressed by Admiral Karl Dönitz
and staff, upon return from the first war patrol. U-35 in background. [32]

On board HMS KINGSTON after the sinking of U-35, Werner Lott entered the following note in the wardroom visitor's book: "Wishing you the best of luck except against German U-Boats" [38,49].
He was assigned POW Number 37421. [38]

Werner Lott departing HMS Kingston in Glasgow, Scotland.

Our experiences with HMS Kingston and Kashmir were extraordinarily good after our boat had gone down. I was picked up as the last but one and as my life saver had been damaged when the U-boat sank under my feet I was already completely exhausted and stiff from the cold water. Somerville made a perfect manoeuvre and they threw me a rope which I could not hold in my stiff fingers. To my amazement they lowered a boat, hauled me into it and threw me like a bag onto the destroyer's deck because I had become too weak to jump on my own in the heavy sea. Under a doctor's supervision I was put into a hot bath and a bottle of Scotch held to my mouth which altogether gave all of us an astonishingly quick recovery.
On board we were told that we would be decently treated provided we gave no
reason for trouble. We all got comfortable quarters yet were carefully
guarded which went without difficulty. In Greenock we were handed over to a Scottish battalion guarding us under the command of a Major. In the night
train to London Dec 2/3 39 all in our carriage were alarmed around midnight
when Stamer had somehow organised a bottle of beer for everybody for then my birthday began. The Scottish guards taught us "happy birthday" - a most
extraordinary story in the early war.
It so happened that I was escorted into the Tower of London on my 32nd
birthday, the 3rd of December 1939. Heavily guarded by the Scotch Guards I
was put into a prison cell down in the basement with a rusty bedstead as its
only furniture. It was a cold winter and there was a fireplace, but with no
fire in it. And a piece of paper pinned to the wall contained the
regulations of the Geneva Convention in broken German: Please your holding power and do what they say!
I asked to see an officer with the only result that a sergeant would appear
with the monotonous answer: I'll see what I can do for you. Thereupon I
decided to go on hunger strike until I came to see an officer - with very
little effect, I must say. But I was lucky. As I was slowly beginning to
doubt the wisdom of my decision, there was suddenly a commotion in front of
my cell and when the door opened no lesser a person appeared than Lord Louis
Mountbatten - flotilla chief of the destroyers that sunk our submarine. I
shall never forget the expression on your face and the four words to the
sergeant: Where is the commandant?
It did not take long until a rather red-faced major from the Scotch
Guards appeared and explained that it was all a horrible misunderstanding
and that I would soon be moved into comfortable quarters.

As recollected by Werner Lott and Lord Mountbatten,Lott: I should like to thank you for the way that we were treated onboard the KINGSTON and KASHMIR after the whole of my ship's company was captured by them. We could not have been more correctly treated and Lieutenant Commander Somerville even let me have the cabin of an officer on leave. Finding be was unmarried I obtained the name and address of his mother so that I could see she was properly looked after.Mountbatten: She is a free woman living in a free country. You are a prisoner-of-war in our hands. I don’t see what you can do to help her?Lott: Not now but next Summer when we invade England and take over. Then I would like to make sure that she is well treated by the occupying forces.Mountbatten: I am afraid you don’t understand what is going to happen in this war; yet you should as you are a naval officer. In the 1914/18 war your army was victorious everywhere but the Royal Navy blockaded you to the point of
starvation, surrender and revolution. In this war your army will unquestionably be victorious in Europe when they come to over- run France next year but you still have got to cross the sea to invade England. The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force will prevent that. You will find the Germans confined to a conquered continent without having conquered the United Kingdom. Then in due course Hitler will make the same mistake that the Kaiser made which will involve the United States of America coming into the war on our side. When that happens it will be we who will invade the continent and defeat Hitler on land. That will be the end of the war with victory for us and defeat for you. I think therefore you had better start learning English and preparing yourself for the difficult times you will find in Germany after your release.

I was also allowed to see my officers who had made the same experience and I
kept thinking of Lt. Commander Sommerville's advice when I left his ship:
treatment by the army will be different, but do not take it as bad will - it
is lack of experience. A very sound advice that I have followed throughout
the long years of prisonership, very likely to everybody's benefit. And when
we were invited by the Admiralty to our parole dinner where Commander
Halahan acted as host I could not help thinking: Why are we fighting each
other? [39]

Several days later, Werner Lott and the other
U-35 officers and the cook, Martin Müller,
were moved to Grizedale Hall. In Grizedale
Hall (also known as "U-Boat Hotel"), Werner Lott was
associated with the unsuccessful escape attempt of Luftwaffe pilot Franz
von Werra [10]. This was described in the post-war book "The
One That Got Away" (click to view excerpt) [79] which also became a
movie by that name.

Werner Lott was promoted to the rank of Korvettenkapitän (Commander) on 01 November 1940 while
in England as a POW. [1,3,15]

When I as the leader of the German Mobile Exhibition Central and
East Africa met the prosperous farmer Halahan and his family on the slopes of Mount Elgon in Kenya 25 years later we had a memorable celebration - and we asked each other the same question - "Why were we fighting each other?"
On this same trip through East Africa I had to give many addresses to Rotary
Clubs still very much alive in those days. And almost invariably I was
toasted by the local President as a "guest of honour we all envy for one
privilege he has enjoyed: he was H.M.S. guest in the Tower of London".
When I participated in a conference of the European Training Institute in
Paris which was held in London several years ago I entertained my wife to
dinner in Scotts Restaurant and also visited the Tower of London under a Beefeater’s guide. When the tour was over and question time opened I asked our guide whether one of the beefeaters had ever shown around somebody who had actually sat in the Tower as a prisoner. "Oh no", he said, "these times are long past." And he was quite astounded when I told him afterwards about my stay in the Tower. [39]

Korvetten Kapitän a. D. Werner Lott,
Your chief Engineer, my old friend, Gerhard Stamer, has written to inform me that you will be celebrating your 70th birthday on the 3rd December.
I am, therefore, writing this letter now with the request that he will deliver it to you on your birthday with my personal best wishes and congratulations.Gerhard Stamer tells me that it was while you were taken from Glasgow to London in December 1939 that you celebrated your birthday in the train and that the guards provided a bottle of beer at midnight with which to drink your health.
I should like to take the belated opportunity of congratulating you on your magnanimous behaviour when you landed the crew of the Greek ship,
DIAMANTIS, in a remote bay In Ireland about the 4th October 1939, at considerable risk. Those were the days when the two navies behaved particularly well to each other and to others at sea during the war.

Sir,
When Gerhard Stamer delivered your personal letter to me on my 70th birthday I was equally surprised and pleased. Thank you very much for this honour.
The newspaper clippings of the DIAMANTIS case give only the Greek captain’s version of the story. Ours was considerably different.
But on my birthday we talked a good deal about the miracle that we were all saved through the rescue efforts of HMS KINGSTON and KASHMIR. I am not sure whether you know that Commander Somerville had to lower a cutter to pick me up as the last but one because my fingers were too stiff to hold the rope thrown to me from the destroyer. As you said in your letter: "Those were the days ...."
With my personal best wishes for yourself
I am, Sir,
respectfully yours
Werner Lott

[35,14] Werner Lott returns to the Tower of London. This photo,
taken in September 1984 by Yeoman Warder Brian Harrison, was posed in
front of the metal railing to the west of the White Tower. The open area
behind Mr. Lott was the site of his former prison, the Main Guard, which
was destroyed by German bombs in December 1941. The 1984 visit was recorded by Brian
Harrison in an article in The Legion in early 1985 (click to view).